Category Archives: Cooking

Happy Monday! I had the whole weekend off, but I haven’t gotten called in yet today, so I just might have a 3-day weekend. Last week I was called in every day, so it’s been nice to get some stuff done in the last few days. Josh’s brother, girlfriend and our niece, Hannah, are coming to visit this week. We’ve been running around trying to get everything organized and clean. I accomplished a lot on the weekend including a bunch of cooking and homework! This morning I’ve already done a lot too. I woke up, had lemon and hot water, then made myself a energy-packed breakfast. I had 3 scrambled eggs and 2 pieces of toast with sliced avocado on top.

On Saturday I got my Mother-in-law to eat quinoa! I think this was my greatest accomplishment of the weekend and the best part is that she liked it. I cooked salmon on a cedar plank on the BBQ and served it with lemon and herb quinoa and sauteed spinach. It turned out absolutely amazing and was packed full of flavour and nutrients! Below is the recipe for the quinoa.

Sweat garlic, shallot and a little salt and pepper in pot with oil on medium heat until cooked (about 2 minutes). Add the quinoa and stir for 2 minutes to toast and coat in mixture . Add the white wine and let cook for a minute.

Add the lemon zest and vegetable stock, then increase the heat until it begins to simmer. Turn the heat down to low and cover. Cook for 15 minutes.

When done, stir in the lemon juice, zest, and herbs. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.

I’m off to a Rypped class at the YMCA, so hope you enjoy the rest of your day!

I don’t know about the rest of Canada, but the weather here in Prince George hasn’t been too promising.. Yesterday morning I woke up to blue skies and sunshine. I thought it would have been at least a little warmer outside, but it was still sitting at 0 and didn’t get above 2 degrees all day. I want to be able to go for long walks, runs, wear shorts, sit outside and read and go on picnics. It even snowed last weekend!

Besides complaining about the weather, I’ve been doing a lot of cooking. I also ordered Meghan Telpner’s new book, Undiet. I made the granola recipe found in the book the day I got it. It turned out awesome! I had some last night with some goat’s yogurt. So far this book has been great and very interesting – it’s hard to put it down! I would especially recommend it to anyone that is looking to clean up their diet. Her story about overcoming her diagnosis of Crohn’s is very inspiring and motivating. It shows just how powerful food and a clear mind could be.

Besides that I’ve made Jamaican Jerked Chicken, which turned out good, but I want to perfect the recipe before I post it. I’ve made Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies and I’ve also been eating a lot of colourful salads!

If you seen on Instagram, I also baked a cake. It’s a Red Velvet Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing. It was at my boyfriend’s request, and I can tell you that there is nothing healthy about it. However, it turned out great and I happily enjoyed a piece. There is a bakery in Vancouver called Edible Flours that makes the most amazing gluten-free (as well as egg and soy-free) cakes and pastries. They make donuts there that are to die for too!

I enjoy decorating cakes, what can I say? Well that’s it for today. It’s beautiful again outside, so I’m going to take the dogs out for a walk. I definitely miss the 30+ degree weather in Jamaica!

Hey, how’s your weekend going? Mine has been going well so far. I had Friday and Saturday off. Unfortunately it rained for both days – actually it snowed on Friday! I woke up to go to the gym and I had to brush snow off the truck. A couple weeks ago I had taken my snow brush out thinking that I wouldn’t need it anymore. I guess I haven’t experienced enough of Prince George winters to know that it can snow in May here – yuck!

After avoiding the mall for a couple months, I finally ended up there. Josh had some banking to do, so I went straight to David’s tea to get their Spring collection. It comes with 5 different flavours which are absolutely delicious. I got one extra one on top of that too.

Last night i made mini homemade pizzas. I made a whole wheat crust and cut the dough into smaller chunks so we could have our own personal pizza. I like less cheese and more veggies on mine than Josh. It’s pretty obvious in the picture which one is who’s. On mine I put oven-dried cherry tomatoes (that I made), roasted peppers, mushrooms, red onion, a little bit of mozzarella, and goat’s cheese. I finished it off wish some fresh basil. It was amazing!

I’m back to work today. I’m going to head to the gym, and then try and get a few things done before work. I really hope this weather get’s a little nicer like it was last week. The sunshine always seems to make me feel happier and more energetic. I want to get outside and go for some walks.

Hey! Happy Wednesday! The week is already going by quick. My weekend was very relaxing. I visited family and did some cooking (of course). As I mentioned, it’s sooooo nice to be able to eat healthy and cook my own meals. I don’t regret my decision to change jobs one bit. And, 6 more sleeps until Josh is home already!

I’ve been going to the gym as much as possible. I took Sunday off to relax. I feel myself getting stronger and more toned, so hopefully I will be ready to reach my goal of 10 successful push-ups by March 3rd. This week I’ve been working 7-3, so I’ve been getting up at 5:00 am and going from 5:30-6:30 before work. It gives me energy at work and then I can relax and get other things done afterwards. Today is Day 20 of my 90 day challenge and I’m feeling amazing!

Sunday night I made something new. I’ve seen this recipe before and have been wanting to try it for a while. Lentil, Mushroom and Sweet Potato Shepard’s Pie. I found the recipe from this site. Josh’s Mom was a little skeptical about it as it’s not a traditional Shepard’s pie, but to her surprise, it was delicious! She even had seconds. I made mini pies to bring in my lunch too. I even had someone at work ask me for the recipe. This is definitely a recipe I recommend you try.

Something I found interesting about this recipe is that steel cut oats is one of the ingredients. It helps bind the first layer together and gives it even more nutrients. This recipe is packed with flavour and it’s good for you. The only thing I changed is that I put 2 cloves of garlic instead of one.

Well hope your week is rocking like mine. Definitely looking forward to the long weekend. Please send any of your favourite Easter recipes.

Good morning! It’s the weekend! As I said in my last post, I haven’t worked Monday to Friday in years, so it’s a little different for me.

This morning I’m going to a boot camp class at the YMCA. I recently got a membership there, so I want to try a bunch of their classes. Besides that, I have a little running around to do and should probably get some homework done. Oh, and I also want to make something delicious for dinner – but I haven’t thought that far ahead yet.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I was going to give you the recipe for the muffins I made. I really wanted a healthy muffin I could bring to work. I was going to add nuts and maybe a few other things to them, but I was craving a simple banana muffin.

I looked for many recipes, but this is the one I decided to try. It’s great when you find a recipe that you like (and works), because then you can play around with it a little.

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and lightly grease the muffin pan (I skipped this step, but then my muffins were a little difficult to get out. I have a silicone pan that I don’t normally need to grease)

2. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.

3. In a larger bowl, whisk the olive oil and honey together. Once well mixed, add the eggs and stir until just combined.

4. Mix in your mashed banana.

5. Alternate the dry ingredients and hot water, adding them to your wet mix. Make sure not to over mix, only until combined.

6. Pour mix into muffin pans (I filled them until just below the top). Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes. Mine took about 20, but it depends on your oven.

I just might have to do a little baking today too. I used to want to decorate wedding cakes and be a super-star pastry chef, then I decided to take the cooking direction.

Hope your weekend is going fabulous so far. I better go eat some breakfast before I head out to my class!

Hey! Happy Friday! It’s an actual Friday for me. For the first time in years, I worked 40 hours, Monday-Friday. It’s not going to be like that all the time, as I am training, but it sure is weird! So far it’s going great. Not being stranded in the middle of nowhere with little internet and horrible food is sure nice. The only difficult part is that Josh is back at work for 2 weeks. So far the internet on his end has given us a little time for Skype.

Wednesday night I made muffins to take in my lunch. I will post the recipe tomorrow. Then last night I made Braised Chicken with Mushrooms, along with a delicious Ratatouille (I made extra to take in my lunch too). Recipes to come!

Yesterday I worked from 6:30-2:30. I knew there was no way I would want to go to the gym after work, so I forced myself to get out of bed at 4:30 and go from 5-6 before work. It was definitely hard waking up, but once I was there I felt much better. I did take a little nap after work though!

Well that’s all for today; I’m off to the gym for another work-out before my shift starts. Make sure to check out tomorrow’s post to see the delicious muffins I made. Have a fantastic Friday!

Good morning! We’re almost at the end of the week already. Yesterday I went to the gym, did a little cleaning, then sat back and relaxed while Josh made me dinner. Yes – I got to be the one relaxing! The only thing I did for him was make homemade pasta. This is white pasta, but next time I’m going to make whole wheat, which is something I haven’t done before.

I really want the attachment for my kitchen aid mixer, then I don’t have to hand crank it, and I can make even more different types (and shapes).

I have to say I couldn’t even believe what he decided to make me. I must have taught him something because it’s definitely the best meal he’s ever cooked (that I’ve seen). I thought he was pretty good before, but I was very impressed. Usually it’s slow cooker roasts, chili’s or BBQ steak.

First he brought out a balsamic and olive oil dip with bread.

Then the first course he had veggies with these huge lime-garlic prawns that were cooked perfectly!

For the main course he made a creamy tomato sauce for the pasta and topped it with seared scallops. It was sooooooo good!!

I’m going to add in that he also picked up a great bottle of wine.

I know – I’m spoiled. I do the cooking 90% of the time, but it is sure nice to be pampered like that sometimes! Even though some of this meal wasn’t exactly food I planned on eating on my 90 Day Challenge, you can’t say no when someone (especially your boyfriend) is cooking it for you. He also bought a mini cheesecake for us to share for dessert. I was in heaven!

Today we’re going snowshoeing to the old gun range. That will be my exercise for today. It’s been snowing since last night, so that means snowboarding this weekend! Have an awesome day!